Alabama (AL)

Alabama's southern tip is a place where even first-time visitors find a connection. Here, you can experience the links between the traditions of the Deep South and a more laid-back island lifestyle, between the wildlife of thousands of acres of preserved lands and a beachfront vacation, and between the gunships of past naval battles and the countless recreational opportunities of the present. Make your own connection from the moment you take in one of the area's exceptional sights. As you journey on the route, see the sun sinking into the warm Gulf of Mexico, the weathered halls of a 150-year-old brick fort, the flutter of a colorful neo-tropical migrant bird, or a fishing boat easing from the dock at sunrise.

Native Americans, Kaintuck boatmen, post riders, government officials, and soldiers all moved across this trail, creating a vital link between the Mississippi Territory and the fledgling United States. Pass through forests, cypress swamps, and farmland to meander through the rock-studded hills of Tennessee, cotton fields in Alabama, and Mississippi's rural countryside.

Journey through history along the trail that marks one of the major historic events in 20th-century American history, the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Wind through the streets of Selma; pass through countryside where marchers spent the night on their way to Montgomery.

Talladega Drive offers a bird's-eye view of scenic mountains, rock outcroppings, and small rural settlements within the Talladega National Forest. Heading towards Cheaha State Park and Alabama's highest peak, with an elevation of 2,407 feet, travel the backbone of Horseblock and Cheaha Mountains, the southernmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains.